Extractor and padders



Filed June 27, 1968 Dec.22., 1970 ECATALLO ETAL 3,548,616

1 EXTRACTOR AND PADDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

FRANK CATALLO B DONALD FORE MAN Maui/U ATTORNEY D86. 22, 1976* CATALLQ ETAL 3,548,616

EXTRACTOR AND PADDERS Filed June 27, 1968 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TORS FRANK CATALLO 0N LD FOREMAN ATTORNEY United States I Patent US. Cl. 68-22 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is directed to an extractor and padder particularly suitable for use in connection with circular knit fabrics and includes a pair of vertically aligned nip rolls for expressing liquids from spread and flattened fabric tubes and a pair of horizontally aligned nip rolls located in close proximity to the vertically aligned nip rolls. A treating liquor supply pan is positioned beneath the horizontally aligned nip rolls which are partly immersed in the treating liquor, and rotation of these nip rolls draws the liquor into the nip so that a submerged nip elfect is created. Means are provided for driving both sets of nip rolls and for driving feed rolls of an associated fabric tube spreader.

This invention relates generally to extractors and padders for circular knit fabrics and particularly seeks to provide a novel extractor and padder having a first nip defined by a pair of vertically aligned press rolls positioned adjacent the discharge end of a fabric spreader and a second nip defined by a pair of horizontally aligned press rolls positioned in proximity to the first pair of rolls.

It is well known that, following completion of knitting, most circular knit fabrics are subjected to further processing operations that may include bleaching, dying or other chemical treating. Generally, the knit tubes are first impregnated with a dye or other solution, after which the ropes must be spread into flattened tubes, the excess solution extracted by being pressed through a squeezing press, and then subjected to one or more subsequent liquid treating operations.

An extractor and padder constructed and operated in accordance with this invention is capable of performing several of such processing stages in a very efficient manner while maintaining excellent control over the geometric configuration of the fabric tube as it passes therethrough.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a novel extractor and padder for the treatment of textiles in which a first nip and drip pan are provided to perform an initial liquid extraction and a second nip and liquor supply pan are provided to perform a combined impreg- Another object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated in which the first nip is defined by a pair of vertically aligned press rolls and the second nip is defined by a pair of horizontally aligned press rolls.

Another object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated in which the rolls of the first nip are positioned at the discharge end of a fabric tube spreader whereby to receive and express liquid from the fabric tube being discharged therefrom without permitting any substantial change in its geometric configuration.

Another object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated in which the rolls of the second nip are partly submerged in the constant-level liquor of the supply pan in order to fully impregnate the fabric passing therebetween and to express excess liquid therefrom as the fabric leaves the nip.

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Another object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated in which the nip pressures are adjustable and in which the operative speeds of the pairs of nip rolls are relatively adjustable.

A further object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated that operatively drives feed rolls of an associated fabric tube spreader and in which changes in speed of the first nip rolls are also elfective to change the speed of the feed rolls of the tube spreader.

A further object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated in which the second nip rolls may be readily by-passed in the event that the apparatus is to be used only for the extraction of liquid from the fabric tube leaving the spreader.

A further object of this invention is to provide an extractor and padder of the character stated that is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

With these and other objects in mind, the nature of which will be apparent, the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the drawings, the accompanying detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic side elevation of an extractor and padder constructed in accordance with this invention and shows the relation between it and a preferred type of tube spreader;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the mounting of the nip rolls and the pneumatic loading system therefor;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the drive for both pairs of nip rolls and for the feed rolls of the associated spreader; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the drive of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention, as illustrated, is embodied in a circular knit fabric .processin g unit adapted to operate simultaneously on two fabric tubes and includes a pair of turntable supported trucks 5, 5 for supplying fabric ropes 6, 6 to a pair of spreaders generally indicated 7, 7 from which the spread and flattened fabric tubes pass through either one or both nips of a two nip extractor and padder, generally indicated 8, to a folder 9.

Although for the purposes of illustration the extractor and padder of this invention has been shown as operating simultaneously on two fabric tubes, it will be appreciated that the apparatus can be used equally well on a single fabric tube or even on three or more fabric tubes. When used on two or more fabric tubes, the tubes enter the apparatus in a single plane thus assuming uniform control and advance.

The spreaders 7 preferably should be of the circumferential drive type disclosed and claimed in Frank Catallo patent application Ser. No. 702,418, filed Feb. 1, 1968, as the discharge ends of such spreaders are adapted to be located in proximity to and partly driven by the rolls of the first nip of the extractor and padder 8, thus maintaining excellent control over the geometric configuration of the spread and flattened fabric tubes.

The extractor and padder 8 includes a pair of side frames 10, 10 which rotatably support a first pair of .vertically aligned rubber covered press rolls 11, 11 and a second pair of horizontally aligned rubber covered press rolls 12, 12 that are horizontally aligned with the lower press roll 11 and located in close proximity thereto.

The lower press roll 11 is mounted on a shaft 13, the ends of which are journalled in bearings 14 afiixed to the side frames 10. The upper press roll 11 is mounted on a shaft 15, the ends of which are journalled in bearings 16 carried by the rearwardly projecting arms 17 of bell crank levers 18, pivotally connected to the side frames 10, as at 19, and provided with relatively long downwardly extending arms 20. The lower end of each bell crank arm 20 is pivotally connected, as at 21, to the piston rod of a double-acting pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 22 to oscillate the bell cranks 18 about their pivots 19 and apply or release nip pressure between the rolls 11.

Similarly, the front press rolls 12 is mounted on a shaft 23, the ends of which are journalled in bearings 24 aflixed to the side frames 10. The rear press roll 12 is mounted on a shaft 25, the ends of which are journalled in bearings 26 carried by the upper ends of vertical rock arms 28, pivotally connected to the side frames 10, as at 29, and provided with relatively long lower ends 30. The lower end 30 of each rock arm 28 is pivotally connected, as at 31, to the piston rod of a second double-acting pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 32 to oscillate the rock arms 28 about their pivot 29 and apply or release nip pressure between the rolls 12.

The spreaders 7, 7 include a pair of vertically spaced parallel shafts 33, 33, provided with pairs of tapered drive rolls 34, 34 that engage limited external areas of the fabric tubes 6 to assist in advancing the fabric tubes along the spreaders.

The various nip and tapered rolls are driven from a double output shaft motor 35 (see FIG. mounted on a base 36 whose position may be longitudinally adjusted by operation of a hand wheel 37.

One end of the motor shaft is provided with a variable speed pulley 38 that is adapted to drive the lower (fixed axis) of the vertically aligned nip rolls 11, 11 throulgh a fixed diameter pulley 39, reduction gear 40 and sprockets 41 and 42. The reduction gear 40 may be oscillated slightly in either direction through the use of a hand wheel adjustment 43 so that the rotative speed of the nip rolls 11, 11 may be changed with respect to that of the nip rolls 12, 12.

The other end of the motor shaft is provided with a variable speed pulley 44 (identical to the pulley 38) that is adapted to drive the front (fixed axis) of the horizontally aligned nip rolls 12, 12 through a fixed diameter pulley 45, reduction gear 46 and sprockets 47 and 48.

The spreader shafts 33, 33, which carry the tapered drive or feed rolls 34, are driven from the output side of the reduction gear 40 through sprocket and chain drives 49, 50 and 51. The drive 51 includes means indicated at 52, operable by a hand wheel 53, for adjusting the speed of the shafts 33 with respect to that of the lower nip roll shafts 13 so that exact control of the fabric tube may be maintained.

A liquor pan 54 (see FIG. 1) is positioned beneath the horizontally aligned nip rolls 12, 12 and has a depth sufficient that when a dye or other treating liquor is maintained at a desired level, the lower portions of the nip rolls 12 will be immersed therein and rotation of the nip rolls will draw the treating liquor up into the nip and effect a submerged nip action.

Treating liquor is supplied through a pipe 55 and its level is maintained by any suitable type of liquid level control, generally indicated at 56. Liquid is discharged through a pipe 57 which is also connected through a drain pipe 58 to a splash pan 59 positioned beneath the vertically aligned nip rolls 11, 11 and the tapered drive rolls 34 to catch any liquid expressed from the fabric tubes 6 by the action of such rolls.

The liquor pan 54 is provided with a pair of horizontally spaced parallel idler rolls 60, 60 which guide the fabric tube 6 from the nip of the rolls 11, 11 vertically upwardly into the nip of the rolls 12, 12. By passing the fabric tube 6 vertically upwardly into the nip in this manner, complete impregnation of the fabric is assured as is uniform expression of the treating liquor at the nip.

It is of course to be understood that variations in arrangements and proportions of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An extractor and padder including: a first nip defined by a pair of vertically aligned press rolls and adapted to receive a flattened circular knit fabric tube and express liquid therefrom; a second nip defined by a pair of horizontally aligned press rolls located in close proximity to said vertically aligned press rolls, the axis of the lower of the vertically aligned press rolls being aligned substantially horizontally with the axes of the horizontally aligned press rolls; a treating liquor supply pan positioned beneath said pair of horizontally aligned press rolls with its upper edge located in a plane higher than the plane containing the lower faces of said horizontally aligned press rolls; means for supplying a treating liquor to said supply pan and for maintaining the level thereof within said supply pan at a height suflicient to cause only the lower portions of said horizontally aligned press rolls to be immersed therein; and means for driving said press rolls to advance a flattened fabric tube engaged by the hips thereof.

2. An extractor and padder including: a first nip defined by a pair of vertically aligned press rolls and adapted to receive a flattened circular knit fabric tube and express liquid therefrom; a second nip defined by a pair of horizontally aligned press rolls located in close proximity to said vertically aligned press rolls; a treating liquor supply pan positioned beneath said pair of horizontally aligned press rolls with its upper edge located in a plane higher than the plane containing the lower face of said horizontally aligned press rolls; at least one roller extending across the interior of the supply pan and positioned beneath the nip of said horizontally aligned press rolls for guiding the fabric tube from the nip of said vertically aligned press rolls vertically into the nip of said horizontally aligned press rolls; means for supplying a treating liquor to said supply pan and for maintaining the level thereof within said supply pan at a height sufficient to cause the lower portions of said horizontally aligned press rolls to be immersed therein; means for driving said press rolls to advance a flattened fabric tube engaged by the hips thereof; and means for varying the driving speed of one of said pairs of press rolls with respect to the other pair thereof.

3. The extractor and padder of claim 2 in which means are provided for adjustably varying or releasing the nip pressures between said pairs of press rolls.

4. The extractor and padder of claim 3 additionally including a fabric tube spreader provided with fabric tubeadvancing elements and positioned in close proximity to the entrance of the nip defined by said pair of vertically aligned press rolls and means for driving the said fabric tube-advancing elements thereof.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner s. (:1. X.R. 26-55 

